Flint officials working to resolve water issues

People in Flint may be a bit wary of drinking water from their taps these days.

Several boil water advisories have been issued in the past month, after tests showed potential problems with bacteria. The latest pair of advisories were lifted last week.

Flint Public Works director Howard Croft explains what the city is doing to resolve problems with the city's water system during a news conference this week.

Credit Steve Carmody / Michigan Radio

Howard Croft is Flint’s public works director. He says the problems are due to Flint’s aging infrastructure.

Croft says the latest problem was connected to a broken water valve in a section of pipe crews repaired earlier this year. He says there are ten thousand water valves in Flint’s ancient water system. Croft says replacing them will take a long time.

The city will soon begin replacing miles of aging water lines on Flint’s west side.

“Expect us to continue to trouble shoot and do everything we can do for the integrity of the system to be at its utmost,” promises Croft.

Some people have connected the recent problems with Flint’s water to a big change made earlier this year. After decades of getting its tap water from Detroit, the city earlier this year started tapping the Flint River.

Croft insists the switch is unconnected to the recent problems.

In a few years, Flint will switch fresh water sources again. The city will start receiving water from Lake Huron once a new pipeline is completed.

In the meantime, Croft says Flint residents should not worry they will have to get used to more frequent ‘boil water’ advisories.

After a brief delay, the city of Flint will finally start getting its drinking water exclusively from the Flint River starting this afternoon.

City leaders had hoped to start tapping the Flint River earlier this week. But the state Department of Environmental Quality refused to give its final OK until more work was done on a disinfectant system.

The DEQ has now given its approval.

So this afternoon at 2 p.m., Flint city officials will shut the valve on the intake pipe that brings water to the city from Detroit.